— Lesley Kennedy, professional dancer in New York, performed in Hell’s Kitchen Dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov

— April Littlejohn, television and movie stunt actress and choreographer. Known for her work on Alias, House on Haunted Hill and Happy, Texas.

— Sylvia Mathis Manning, singer, recording artist and stage and television actress. Known for her work in music and theater in New York and Chicago, independent film, back-up vocals and a guest starring role on Walker, Texas Ranger.

— Frank Wright II, performed with the original Broadway cast and touring casts of Disney’s The Lion King.

— Angela Criscimagna, a dance teacher. Taught with the CAPA program and currently teaches at Great Oak High School in Temecula, Calif.

ROCKFORD — Once a year, Auburn High School on Rockford’s west side becomes a gathering place for aspiring artists, ready to put their talents on the line for a spot in the district’s Creative And Performing Arts program.

At one end of the school, a group of girls lean against a stairwell wall outside the dance studio.

“We’ll learn 16 counts, and show them,” one says. “Really?” another replies.

At the other end of the school, young musicians, some lugging instrument cases larger than themselves, get situated in a line of chairs and join each other in playing scales to pass the time.

The hallways are abuzz, an electric combination of melody and nervous energy.

Current students, identified by name tags rather than stickers with numbers on them, lead prospective students and parents to various audition halls where they wait outside closed doors for their chance to impress the judges.

About 215 students auditioned earlier this month. Of those, roughly half will earn a spot, explained Fine Arts Director LuAnn Widergren, partly because of space and partly because of the program’s standards.

CAPA, housed at West Middle School for grades 6 through 8 and Auburn High School for grades 9 through 12, offers students the standards of high school education — English and math and science — along with intensive instruction in art, music and dance.

“This is for kids who love the arts. It’s why they come to school,” Widergren said. “You can see it in the hallways — the singing and the playing everywhere. That’s who these kids are. This is their gift.”

Looking for teachability

Securing a spot in CAPA is no easy task.

There are letters of recommendation that need to be turned in. Applications need to be filled out, not to mention the live auditions.

Musicians have to play. Actors have to act. Singers have to sing. They all have to compete.

“As we continue building the program, as we continue on this path of excellence, the cut off is going to get smaller and smaller,” said band director Lynne Olson. “We really want kids to practice for the auditions and take it seriously.”

Unlike the district’s Renaissance Gifted Academy, where a score of 95 percent or better on an entrance exam gets students in, the doorway to CAPA, which started in 1977, is opened by judges.

“Talent is important, but passion in the heart is just as important,” said dance instructor Lou Ann Alberts as she kept a watchful eye on students sashaying across the studio floor.

Page 2 of 2 - “I don’t care if they have two left feet. That doesn’t worry me. ... We teach dancing here,” Alberts said as she jotted down notes on auditioning students. “I’m looking for a passion for dancing, for spirit. That we can’t teach.”